Automobile lift



Dec. 22, 1925 1,566,427

. l J. T. RENEAU AUTOMOBILE LIFT Filed June 21, 1924 2 sheets-smet 1 J. T. RENEAU AUTOMOBILE LIFT Filed June 21, 1924 2 sheets-sneu 2 A' ao i Patented Dec. 292, 1.925.

UNITED STATES :uns fr. BENEAU', or N'Ew oaLEANs,

LOUISIANA, assreNon or ONE-mr 'ro LAWRENCE E. (JOKER, F NEW ORLEANS, LOUISIANA.

application med 311111221, .19134.- serial No. 721,556. f

To all whom t may concern.'

Be it known that I, JAMES T. RENEAU, a citizen of the United States, residing at New Orleans, in the, parish of Orleans and State-of Louisiana, have invented new and useful Improvements in Automobile Lifts, of which the following is a. specilication.

This-invention relates to an automobile lift adapted to elevateand render the lower, structure of an automobile readily accessible.l The primary lobject* of the invention is rto provide an automobile lift or elevating means to replacethe usual form of pits and other xed structures now commonly used for disposing an automobile in such position for repair that all of the under parts thereof may be readily reached without subjecting the operators or repairmen to inconvenience. A further object of the invention -is to provide an automobile lift or elevating means -upon which kan automobile may be readily disposed and repaired, Vand .subsequently easily released, and to support the.

automobile at such vheight that repairmen may readily pass thereunder and be permitted to assume positions that will be moreA eiective in expeditiously completing repairs` or rectifying irregularities that may exist.

' Alstill further object of the invention is to provide a strong and durable automobile lift or elevating means lhaving a rocking structure of a novel form and onto and from which an automobile may readily move un der its own power, and also provided with\ means for holding an automobile against` movement thereon while undergoii'i repair. vWith these and other objects an advantages in view, the invention consists 1n `the construction and arrangement'of the several arts which will be more fullyliereinafter described and' claimed. i

In the drawings:

v Figfl is a side elevation of .anautomobile lift or elevating means embodying'the features of the invention and showing an automobile in position thereon, the improved device being partially broken away at oppositer extremities; J Y y Fig; 2 isa vview to' Fig. on a slightly reduced scale, showing. the improved mobilefto move .upwardly thereonto;

the `automobile openings 21 for'the purpose of receivi Fig. is a 'plan view of theimproved de= besa 23 at the upper innerend i, Fig. 4is a transverse vertical section on gli .erlarged scale taken on the line 4 4, 1g' 5' Fig. 5 is a sectional perspective view of separated parts of a portionv of one of the rocker units; i Fig. 6 is a detail perspective view-of one of. the terminal inclines, looking toward the bottom of the latter; and

Fig. 7 is a detail pers ective view of a 65 support or crutch for hol ing the improved device against movement, particularly when l disposed at an inclination to permit an automobileto move upwardly thereonto.

VThe numeral 5 designates two rocker 79 units, which are duplicates in dimensions and general construction, and each comprises lower parallel iocking components 6 held separated by suitable space blocks 7 and provided with tires 8 extending the full 75 length thereof. The rocker components also have upper horizontally disposed beams 9 f with space blocks 7 therebetween and thereover track plates 10 are secured. Between'. the lower rocking components 6 of each unit and the beams 9 vertical brace rods 11 are interposed andhave their ends screw-threaded and providedl with nuts as at 12, the screwthreaded ends and nuts being countersunk .inrecesses 13, as `clearly shown by Fig. 4. The brace rodsg11 differ in length to com-y pensate for the arcuate contour of the rocker components and theconsequent` variation in distance ofthe latter from the beams 9. The beams 9 also have upwardly 90 'projecting guard flanges 14 secured to the outersides thereof, #and these flanges are provided with a plurality of transversely alined .o enings 1'5" to removably` receive cross or ocking r s At the @ends the '95 rocking components 6 and-beams 9 arerespectively recessed, as at 17 and 18, lto receive segmental tie plates 19, tli'eI lower portions of the opposite' extremities of the guard anges 14 being secured'over the upper por-v tions of these tie lates, as clearly shown by Figs. 1 and 2'. e tie plates 19 reinforce the op osite' ends ofthe rocker units, and. the en s of the track plates 10have central slots or recesses 20, andthe adjacent ends of the' beams 9 are formed withtransvers en inclines 22, which. simulate skids, eac in-l eline havingl a substantially semicii'cular thereof formed with an opening 24 therethrough for insertion in one of the end recesses 20 and between the ends of the beams 9, to receive a pintle or pin 25 passed through the openings 21 and 24, thereby forming a hinge connection for the incline or skid 22. Each incline or skid 22 is similarly hinged and is free to move or assume a proper angle relatively tothe track plate 10 with which it is adapted to cooperate. The underside of each incline or skid 22 has a prop 26 and the outer free end at the underside is beveled or cut away -at an angle, as at 27, to permit the said outer edge to closely lit the surface with which it engages and maintain a proper angle of inclination without an abutting shoulder or edge at the outer free end of the incline or skid. The two rocker units 5 are tied in fixed relation by upper and lower tie rods 27 passing through the rocker components 6, beams 9 and space blocks 7, which are interposed between the said rocker components and beams.

As an efficient accessory to the operation of the improved automobile lift or elevating means a support or crutch 28 is provided and, as shown by Fig. 7, consists of two laterally overlapping adjusting members or plates 29 and 3,0 each having at one side of the upperportion thereof an L- shaped Lor angular arm 31 with the. angular member 32 thereof directed inwardly and separated by an open space 33, which will vary in accordance with the adjustment of the one plate `with relation to the other. The one plate has a screw stud 34 projecting ltherefrom and extending through a slot 35 formed in thefother plate, the said screwA stud having a clamping nut 36 /to maintain the plates lin fixed adjustment. Each rocker unit may be engaged by one of the supports or crutches to hold the same in tiltedY position, as shown by Fig. 2, when it is desired to mount an automobile on the improved liftoi` elevating means, and the angular arms 31 are applied over the .rocker components 6, and after adjustment of the plates V29 and 30 has been made to cause the said` arms to snugly engage the rocker components, the clamping nut 36 is tightened and the lower end of the support of each crutch bears .on the surface upon which the im- -proved automobile lift or elevating means is operatively disposed. Each support or crutch 28 is disposed at an angle of inclina-4 tion as lshown by Fig. 2 and is adapted to be applied at either side of the vertical center 'of the improved lift or elevating means for the purpose of lowering either extremity of the latter to bring the incline or skid at the lower end ofthe improved device in position for easy movement thereover of the automobile wheels.

The operation of the improved device is very simple and it will be understood that an automobile may approach and move upwardly onto the rocker units and engage the track plates 10 from either end, and after the automobilehas been properly disposed on the rocker units, the locking rods 16 are adjusted relatively to the openings 15 and guard anges 14 to occupy positions between spokes of the wheels of the automobile as shown by Fig. 1, and thereby prevent the automobile from becoming accidentally disengaged or running ofi' the rocker units. It is obvious that in the operation of the improved device the automobile will be run upwardly onto the rocker units from one extremity of the improved lift or elevating means, and after repair or other necessary manipulation the automobile may be released and move off of the improved lift at the opposite extremity, the inclines or skids 22 at opposite endsy of the rocker units being readily disposable for service and, likewise, the supports or crutches 28 readily removable. i

It will be seen that the rocker units have a continuous curvature without any Hat portions, therebv making it possible to dispose the automobile in various positions lengthwise ,of the rocker units as may be desired, and even though the rocker units may be tilted in view of a heavier weight at one extremity of ,each` than at the other extremity. when the automobile wheels are locked by the rods 16, the connectionbetween the automobile and the improved device will remain positive. By this means it is possible to dispose the under portion of an automobile at different angles if found necessary or maintain the same inv-horizontal position as shown by Fig. 1. All the partsof the improved device will be com- Y well as thevertical braces 11 and tie rods 27y be constructed of metal, but in some instances the rocker components 6 and beams 9 mav be formed of wood of a suitable and c However, the kinds of durable character. material used in forming` the various parts w i1l be determined by the strength and durability required in the effective operation and service of the improved'device. It will also be understood that changes inthe proportions and general dimensions ofthe several parts may be adopted without departing from the spirit of the invention.

What is claimed as new is:

1. In an automobile lift of the class specified, the combination of spaced rocker units having regular and continuous lower arcuate components which extend upwardly to and terminate at the ends of the units to form complete rockingbase supports the full length of the units, the arcuate components being provided with upper track plates having inner and outer side guard flanges, and freely movable hinged inclines at opposite ends of the units for facilitatin ment of an automobile upward y-onto and downwardly from the track plates at either end of the said units.

2. In an automobile lift,.tlie combination of spaced rocker. units having transverse means for connecting them, each rocker unit being structurally a duplicate of the other and provided with lower arcuate components extending upwardly to and terminating at the ends of the units to provide rocking means extending the full length of the units, the said units also having up er track plates each formed at opposite si es with guard flanges having a plurality of transversely alined openings therein, inclined means movably attached to opposite ends of the rocker units for facilitating the movement of an automobile upwardly onto and downwardly from the 'track plates at either end of the units, means separably engagin the units at one extremity of each forho ding the said units against rocking movement, and locking devices for the wheels of the automobile removably engaging the openin in the flanges and extending transverse y withrelation to the latter. v

3. In an automobile lift of the class speciiied, the combination of duplicate rocker units provided with upper transversely extending securing means for holding the wheels of anl automobile against movement thereon, each rocker unit comprising lower continuous arcuate components extending full length of the unitsA and terminating in upward curves at the ends of the units, each rocker unit also having an upper horizontally ilattrack plate with upwardly projecting iianges at opposite sides formed with plurality of transversel alined openings, inclines hinged to opposite ends of the units under supports to hold the same in and freely movable for self-adjustment, the said inclines having rear reduced edges and ositive position relatively to the ends o the units and particularly in alinement with the track. lates when the latter are tilted, adjustab e supports to separably engage the rocking components at one end of each of the latter to hold the units a ainst movement when an automobile is being mounted thereon, and means for removably engaging the said flan es and the wheels of an automobile -to ho vd the latter` against movementon the track plates.

4. An automobile lift of the class specified, having duplicate rocker units with lower continuous arcuate rocking com nents extending from end to end thereof, 1ncline means hinged to opposite ends of the units, means for removably engaging portions of the units for holding the lift at an angle of inclination, Said means consisting of adjustable su porting elements wlth top open spaces to t the rocking components, and means for securing an automobile in fixed osition on-the rocker units.

5. automobile lift of the class specil fied, comprising rocker units with curved rocker sup orts extending the full length thereof and) provided with ipper fiat track lates `having opposite side ing above the same, means hinged to opposite ends of the units for disposition at angles of inclination inline with the track plates to facilitate movement of automobiles u wardlyonto and downwardly from said p ates at either end of the rocker units, means removably associated with the said Han mobile to hold the latter in fixed position on the units, and laterally adjustable means for enga 'n parts of the rocker units for holding 511e' Iatter at an angle of inclination and ap licable to either extremit of the units, it e said laterally adjustabe means consisting of overlapping plates havin open spaces at their upper ends to separab y enga e the rocker supports.

In testimony whereof I have hereunto set my hand.

J AMES RENEAU.

s for engaging the wheels of an autoanges projectl 

